Michigan beats Ohio State in recruiting battle for blue-chip Carter Meadows

Michigan has taken out Ohio State four straight times on the football field, and now the Wolverines beat out the Buckeyes in an important recruiting battle this preseason.

Four-star edge rusher Carter Meadows has committed to Michigan after a heated contest against Ohio State on the recruiting trail, securing one of the nation’s premier pass rushers and one of the 10 best defensive ends in the nation.

Meadows visited Ohio State and Michigan over consecutive weekends this month prior to his commitment, and both schools made an aggressive push to earn his pledge.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Meadows is already earning considerable praise as a likely eventual first-round NFL Draft pick from recruiting analysts coming off a productive high school career and boasting elite physical characteristics.

Meadows “can give opposing offensive tackles fits just with his stride length as he can run the arc and right into the quarterback,” according to 247Sports analyst Andrew Ivins.

He added the prospect “should be viewed as a high-upside edge player that has a chance to develop into an absolute-game-wrecker at the Power Four level and then an early-round NFL Draft pick if he can soak up coaching and embrace the weight room.”

Meadows is considered the No. 6 edge rusher in the country and the top player from the District of Columbia, according to an average of the four national recruiting services.

He is also ranked as the No. 36 overall recruit nationally when taking an average of all expert opinion.

By securing the edge rusher, Michigan has a chance to make a major jump in the football recruiting rankings, after lingering around the top 50 nationally.

Meadows’ recruitment, combined with other key gains like No. 9 defensive lineman Titan Davis, No. 22 wide receiver Zion Robinson, and No. 11 offensive tackle Malakai Lee should enable the Wolverines to climb in the national team rankings entering this summer.

Those acquisitions, combined with Michigan flipping Bryce Underwood, the top signal caller and No. 1 overall recruit in the country in the last cycle, have also helped head coach Sherrone Moore build his reputation on the recruiting front.

Meadows’ pledge to Michigan also represents another setback for Ohio State.

While the Buckeyes routinely rank at or near the top of the recruiting class rankings every year, it always hurts to lose out on key prospects, especially against your chief rival. Not a great look for Ryan Day, who is 1-4 against Michigan as OSU head coach.

That feeling was compounded when Ohio State also recently lost defensive end Luke Wafle, who appeared to be trending towards the school, but ultimately committed to USC.

Now, it’s the Wolverines’ turn to not just get one over on the Buckeyes on the football field, but on the recruiting front, too, with what could be a signature commitment.

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